Denise O'Donoghue appointed Managing Director ITV Studios UK

Tue 23 Nov 2010

Sector

Press Centre

Denise
O’Donoghue, Co-founder and formerly Joint Managing Director of Hat
Trick Productions, will be joining ITV as Managing Director of ITV
Studios UK. O’Donoghue will lead ITV Studios’
UK commercial strategy and will be specifically tasked with
identifying and exploiting new opportunities to lead the growth of
the business in the UK.

The newly created role, under Kevin
Lygo, Managing Director, ITV Studios, will see O’Donoghue take full
operational responsibility for production management, rights
management and business affairs. She will also work closely with
the creative teams to fully exploit new
opportunities.

In August, ITV Chief Executive Adam
Crozier unveiled the company’s Transformation Plan which
highlighted as one of the key objectives creating a world class
global content business, the foundation of which is the creative
renewal of ITV studios in the UK.

“A key part of our five year strategy
is to build a stronger content business and to develop the
relationship between ITV Studios and our broadcast business,” Adam
Crozier said. “Denise has a
fantastic track record as an entrepreneur creating great content
and commercial value. She
and Kevin Lygo will make a formidable team, spearheading the
development of ITV Studios.”

Kevin Lygo said: “Denise has the rare
talent and experience which spans both the creative and commercial
sides of the business and it’s testament to the growing excitement
about ITV Studios’ future that an executive of Denise’s calibre is
joining my team. Her vision, energy, impressive skills and
relationships with top talent across all areas of the industry will
be a huge asset to ITV Studios as we grow the
business.”

Denise O’Donoghue added: “I’m
delighted to be joining ITV Studios just as the business prepares
for the next stage of its growth. ITV Studios has an unrivalled
heritage in commercial production in the UK and I’m looking forward
to working with Kevin to shape the UK strategy to position the
business for the future.”

As co-founder of Hat Trick productions
O’Donoghue was most recently Joint Managing Director. She is
credited with establishing the production company’s position in the
UK and US working across all areas of the business from ideas
generation through to content
exploitation.

As co-founder and Joint Managing
Director of Hat Trick Productions O’Donoghue was executive producer
of much of the production company’s output. Credits include Drop the Dead Donkey, Have I Got News For You and The
Kumars at No. 42.